‘The man who defeated Isle of Wight Council in a high-profile court battle over the enforcement of a fine imposed for taking his daughter to Florida during term time has unveiled plans to take forward group litigation.’

‘The case of a father who refused to pay a £120 fine for taking his daughter on an unauthorised term-time holiday is due to be heard by the High Court. Magistrates had ruled that Jon Platt had no case to answer as, overall, his daughter had attended school regularly. But Isle of Wight Council has asked the High Court to clarify whether a seven-day absence amounts to a child failing to attend regularly.’

‘A couple who took their children out of school without permission to visit their sick grandfather in India are being taken to court this week as part of the government’s continuing crackdown on term-time absence.’Full story

“Nearly 12,000 parents were prosecuted and 25 given prison sentences because of their children’s truancy from school last year, figures show. The longest jail sentence imposed on a parent was 90 days, according to the Ministry of Justice . A total of 11,757 parents were prosecuted for failing to ensure their child’s attendance at school, up from 11,188 the year before.”

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